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Tulsa Techfest 2010 – The BEST Android Apps EVER

As prepared for Tulsa Techfest 2010

I’ve ran across businessmen – who have Androids – but don’t DOWNLOAD APPS. They’ve missed the bus – the Apps are the best part of the experience, the reason to have Androind in a way… The only way they’ll ever have a fully customized experience…

So to promote the use of apps – I’ve wrestled friends, and combined my own research to produce the BEST LIST EVER!

Contributors to Friends List:

Eric = Roommate. He’s got Sprint, I’ve got Tmobile.

Carl = Web Consultant in the Kalamazoo, MI area

Elliott – Facebook programmer type

Ben – Designer

As well as normal users Abby, Amanda, Jason, Mark and Ricky

(A – I’m still running 1.6, BOO T-MOBILE BOO. Also, this also serves as a “woops I have to dl them all again” list.)

Time Tracker - who needs a timeclock, or sign in sheet! Digital tracking ftw. Yes, I actually use this for work lol

Weather Bug- requires a second download for location tracking that it’s not ultra clear on, but is superior to the Weather.com version. In fact, w.com makes Android users look like tools to Iphone users – so down with w.com anyway. Puts the weather temp at all times on your bar.

Craigsnotifica- WOW – if you need anything from your local Craigslist site, this thing will KEEP YOU ON TOP OF THAT. Srsly. The updates can even give audio notice, to make you seem like the most popular person EVER.

Barcode Scanner – beyond being required by several other apps, this also allows you to take advantage of the Barcode ID phase we are going through – where URL’s are incoded into marketing messages…

Food Finder – a simple app that helped me make sure while I was traveling in Denver – I actually ate at good places. Would be nice if it had the Google ratings pulled in, some form of “this is 4 stars” built in.

GroupText – seems to have a lot of potential, I simply don’t have more than a few people I text at a time… Still – remembering groups, etc – this is a great app.

Bump – I loaded it, Iphone users talk about it all the time using to transfer files, etc… Never used it.

BETWEEN PRODUCTIVITY / MULTIMEDIA:

PixelPipe- NO MORE logging into multiple Twitter accounts for updates, and sending photos. NO MORE sending one photo one place, then changing apps, so you can send it again!! Make “pipes” to OVER 100 SERVICES for Photos, VIDEO, UPDATES, and LOCATION STATUS! It’s kinda crazy good guys – while it doesn’t allow delayed update to twitter, for someone showing up to an event, and covering multiple Twitter photos / updates – it’s pretty BOSS.

Multimedia::

Ringdroid- Got a rotator, but no ringtones! Simple grab this app for all your ringtone making needs! It’s great! In phone MP3 EDITING! Take that favorite song you have already loaded – and edit into it’s own seperate looping MP3 of whatever length. ( max a minute? )

Wallpapers Unltd.Scheduler Free – is my current wallpaper rotator – Had dbd Wallpaper- was HORRIBLE. This one is a little limited – like cycle times are 7, 13, or 22 minutes – but it still allows you to point it at a directory, set a time, and have random backgrounds with little issue for me in my testing from the last few months.

MUSIC PLAYERS::

Disclaimer – I have 1.6 – the built in one with 2.1 from Tmobile was great – but I don’t have that…

3 – by Filipe Abrantes – is in line for potentially best music player. Being stuck with 1.6 and Tmobile – I’m thinking this might be the best player for fun interfaces, and well, it working / being logical damn it.

Merdian – seems hung up on it’s ability to be a browser, video, and audio player. With “PlayQ”‘s being some form of custom play list, you are left going HUH? It’ll get the job done, but has crashed a lot on me.

All said and done? Only 3 and Merdian made it to my desktop / maintained having their streamlined version widgets on my homescreen… Yes. I have 2 music players loaded.

Failed for me: MixZing, Music, Music Player, Queek Lite 2.0,

HATE LIST:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Auto Mount your SD - it’s a green logo, an MAY have caused me weeks of humiliation and confusion as my SD card hated on me. I uninstalled it – but it didn’t STOP auto-mounting… Oi, I think I’ve got it licked now, but man, this one is not my friend.

Auto Conference - lay phone flat, goes to speaker AUTOMATICALLY. Might get annoying, and is touchy, but right now – I’m liking it. STOPS WORKING – then makes you feel crazy.

ALL THE SPRINT PRELOADED APPS. Per Eric – as he Hates Football, Nascar, etc…

FRIENDS’S SECTION::

Eric:

PdaNet - INTERNET TETHERING! Install a program on your laptop, connect your phone via USB – it automatically adds the app, and then BAM – you have internet via your phone! Eric’s been using this for 3 weeks with no issues.

BatteryTime - Gives you detailed info on battery usage – including a Idle time, Talk Time, Video and or Audio Playback, and Web Surfing time estimations! You can even have it show you what XX% will get you from those, etc.

Wifi Toggle Widget - to kill that power sucker.

Pandora - internet radio – for phone!

Slacker – good for ‘mainstream’ music streaming

Last FM – more music streaming love

TiKL – Touch to Talk – Turn your phone into a walkie-talkie.

Socializer – A tool for those who follow Meetup

Elliot:

Google My Tracks is nice for running/biking/etc. K-9 mail client, documents2go, and gasbuddy are all handy. Superlist is ok, but I really need to find a better grocery list app (integration with a website, offline use mandatory; tagging and other bells and whistles optional)

RunKeeper – great fitness tracker; I tried Skimble and couldn’t get it to work consistently. RunKeeper is awesome, though now I have to try My Tracks.

EasyTether – it’s $10 but the best tethering app for non-rooted phones IMO

Productivity Per Carl:

Taskos – awesome task management app that makes to do lists lets you prioritize, categorize, and check off while archiving items! also integrates directly with your contact list, just type call and a persons name and it adds it to your to do list with a call button that works on one click from the to do list view!

Google Navigation – GPS with audio cues from your phone (seems like a no brainer but i know many people who didn’t realized it gives turn by turn with audio and is really freakin accurate!

HootSuite – mobile version of hootsuite’s awesome social media dashboard. manage multiple twitter, facebook, linked in, wordpress, etc…accounts from one site with one status box to integrate them all! also includes URL shortening with analytics data on the clicks your shortened URLS get. plus real-time audible notifications for @mentions and replies so your Twittering is in real time without eating up your text message stream. Also allows you to spread account management across multiple users seamlessly

Wordfued – peer to peer scrabble on your phone ..nuff said

(if you think you can roll with an average 300ish score hit me up always looking for more worthy opponents. muahaaah!)

Drop Box – file backup through the cloud.

Mark:

Alchemy- A really fun little free game

Adobe reader – is kinda a given

android lightsabor- for the starwars geeks

bubble level

Car Home

Coin Flip- for all the importaint decisions

Color Flashlight- works really well

ColorNote- really good note app

Dice Bag- essential for the tabletoper on the go

Dolphin HD browser- Better then the reg one by far

Google Sky Map- Really cool

Google Translate- because you never know when your going to get the urge to take off for Japan or some non-important country